Arthur's Choice
by Rasei
Summary: Spoilers for 5x05 The Disir. What if Merlin didn't have input into whether or not sorcery would be allow back in? Arthur is about to learn more about dragonlords, magic, and himself then he thought was possible from a simple druid girl turned Lady of the Lake. Reveal!Fic


**Title: **Arthur's Choice

**Chapter Title**: At the Beginning

**Author**: Rasei

**Summary**: Spoilers for 5x05 The Disir. What if Merlin didn't have input into whether or not sourcery would be allow back in? Arthur is about to learn more about dragonlords, magic, and himself then he thought was possible from a simple druid girl turned Lady of the Lake. Reveal!Fic

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Merlin. If I did, there would have been a Camelot in it's Golden Years.

**A/N: **This story is the first of the Choice's Trio. All couples are canon, plus there are a couple of OCs. This will be about ten or eleven chapters. Updates are every two weeks. Also I know that Merlin's friend from Ealdor is name Will, but I figure that Arthur wouldn't.

* * *

"_What will you do?"_

"_I don't know. My heart says do anything I can to save Mordred. But I have seen what misery unfettered sorcery brings. Before my father outlawed magic, Camelot was almost destroyed by sorcery. In my own time, Morgana has used it for nothing but evil. What would you do? In my place?"_

"_Me? I'm just a lackey, a maker of beds."_

"_Lackeys can be wise. It is not like you to be silent."_

"_A kingdom's future is at stake."_

"_And a man's life."_

"_You must protect Camelot. You must protect the world you have spent your life building - a just and fair kingdom for all."_

"_You would have me sacrifice a friend?"_

"_I would have you become the king you are destined to be."_

"_If I DO save Mordred, all my father's work will be for nothing. Sorcery will reign once more in Camelot. Is that what you'd want? Perhaps my father was wrong, perhaps the old ways aren't as evil as we thought. So what should we do? Accept magic? Or let Mordred die?"_

"_There can be no place for magic in Camelot." _

- quote between Arthur and Merlin in 5x05 The Disir

* * *

After the conversion, Merlin drifted off to sleep while Arthur just sat there staring into the fire. Was it really fair to allow Mordred to die? Even if all magic was evil, wasn't this counting as consorting with magic? His eyes shut for a moment, thinking back at each instance of magic he ever seen.

There was the sorcerers from when he was a kid, being executed for magic, even if it was just healing. There was the assassin from the night that Merlin saved him for the first time. There was the snake shield from that tourney from a decade ago. There was the ball of light that…

"If magic was evil, why did the ball of light protect me?" Arthur whispered, softly. There was a bit of wind, but the clearing was quiet. Merlin took no notice in his sleep, just turned around.

What other times has magic been good? The unicorn wasn't bad, per say. If that event was anyone's fault, it was his own. There was the druids that healed Leon with the Cup of Life. Healing… There was the sorcerer that healed Guinevere's father. The one that they never found.

There was Dragoon. Why did Dragoon wait a couple of years to kill his father, when he was there to when Guinevere was sentence to death? Why did he put the poultice underneath Arthur's pillow in the first place? Why did he say that he enchanted Guinevere and Arthur to be in love when he didn't?

If Dragoon really wanted Uther to die, then why bother coming into Camelot in the first place? Surely Uther would have died without Dragoon's help, Gaius said that there was no hope after all. Of course there was the matter of Dragoon threatening to kill Arthur that time with the knights. Why would he do something like that anyway?

Maybe he should listen to Merlin about there is no place for magic in Camelot. Has Merlin ever been wrong before? Arthur snorted, then looked at Merlin's sleeping form. While Merlin has his moments, Arthur has no doubt about Merlin's twitchiness about magic. When was there a time that Merlin accepted being around magic welling?

None… no wait, there was that friend of Merlin's that died in Ealdor. The two grew up with each other, Guinevere told him that. Hunith told her childhood stories about the friend and Merlin, back when she was banished. Merlin would gladly die for his friend, and his friend gladly died for someone that _Merlin _cared for. Was the friend one of the few sorcerers that weren't evil?

That isn't the problem through. No Mordred or Magic, which should he choose? Maybe he could limit the amount of magic in Camelot. Like healing? Or that wind thingy that Merlin's friend did all that time ago. Still Merlin was against it enough for someone to die and that is so unlike Merlin.

Merlin has change a lot since that guy died. Why cannot Arthur remember his name? Arthur shook his head. Merlin grown more… more… arrogant since the last time Morgana took over Camelot. When was the last time Arthur sent him to the stocks anyway?

What did Merlin have against Mordred anyway? Back when they saved Mordred as a child, Merlin liked him okay. Except at the end, Merlin was late. The two glared at each other as Mordred left. Since remeeting Mordred, Merlin was tense and almost hated Mordred. Did Merlin know something that Arthur didn't know?

But all these thoughts weren't helping Arthur pick whether to allow magic or not. He sighed, and whispered,

"I need a sign."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, a glowing blue ball of light appeared in front of him. It took him less than a second to recognize it from almost nine years ago. The ball even felt that safe, warm feeling from all that time ago. Arthur found himself standing up, and following the ball of light out of the campsite. He never turned around to see a similar ball of light in his favorite sleeping servant's hand.

The walk through the forest was almost like a dream, with Arthur not noticing how far from camp he wondered. Finally, the ball stopped over a small pond. Just like that, Arthur gain notice that he had no idea where he was.

"Where am I? Do you want me to throw myself into the lake?" he asked the ball. Did he just made a mistake in following the ball of light?

"You are a pond called Winterspring," whisper a soft voice in his ear. Arthur spun around to see a beautiful brown hair woman, with brown eyes staring at him. The dress she wore was a darkish red dress, that was so familiar. It was her sweet smile that drew the most attention from Arthur. Arthur knows this woman from somewhere, but where?

"Are you the one that summon the ball? Where you the one that showed me the way all those years ago?"

The woman shook her head at his questions.

"No, Sire. It is Emrys that summon the ball of light, and it is for Emrys I'm standing here right now."

"Who is Emrys? That name has been mention to me before, I have never seen the man."

The woman let out a laugh, making Arthur frown slightly. She shook her head, then sighed.

"Of course, growing up in Camelot you never heard of the stories of Emrys. How to explain? It's like this, in a time where the land of Albion is almost at it darkest moments, a king will raise. This king will unite the land and create the greatest kingdom ever born."

"And Emrys is this king?" So a sorcerer wants to be king of all of Albion. Great, more trouble.

"Of course not. That king is the Once and Future King. Emrys is really just a guardian of that king, and to help him along in his destiny. Unfortunately someone has been messing with their work without realizing what their actions can lead to."

"Why does Morgana think this Emrys is helping me?" Arthur asked, crossing his arms. The words Once and Future King echo across his mind, as if he heard those words before. The woman smiled sadly.

"I'm sorry, your Royal Pra…. Sire. That is for you to watch and learn." Arthur ignore the almost use of prat/

"What about the Once and Future King? Is he born yet?"

"He was born at the beginning of the Great Purge. In a way, his birth is what caused the Great Purge. For his father mess with Magic to conceive him, not bothered that his son's life will take another to survive."

Arthur frowned, then remember Morgause summoning his mother's soul that day so long ago. Then he remember the phase.

"I been called the Once and Future King before."

"Which is true. You are the only Once and Future King, King Arthur Pendragon of Camelot. Do you want to meet Emrys? Do you want to understand what Emrys has done for you? What he has sacrificed for your life? For your kingdom? For your happiness? If you decide not to, then tomorrow morning you will think this is all just a dream."

"Why does Emrys hides himself?" The woman laughs, and shakes her head.

"Because it's against the law to have magic, Dollop head." Arthur almost jumped at the sound of his long suffrage nickname.

"What did you just call me?" He asked, stepping closer to the woman. The woman blush, then look down at her feet.

"I apologize, Sire. It was an accident that the insult sneak out."

"So is Emrys going to come out here?" ask Arthur, looking for this fearsome sorcerer. The woman step closer to Arthur.

"You cannot do anything in that first time period, Sire."

"Time period?" Arthur turns his head to look at the woman, just as she throws herself onto him. Arthur stumbled backwards into Winterspring pond, catching the woman. Instead of getting wet through, they were in a wooden peasant house. The woman pulled herself away, and dusted her hands off her dress.

"Welcome to the first home of Emry's," she whispered softly. Arthur lift an eyebrow, then shook his head. There was no sign of this Emry's.

"Seems like no one is home."

Right after Arthur spoke, a soft baby cry filled the room. Arthur's head jerk in that direction, to see a simple, hastily made crib. He felt sick, knowing most likely what about to happen. Knights of Camelot will burst in and kill the child for being the child of an sorcerer. The woman walked over to the child, sadly smiling.

"I…"

"I have a question for you, Arthur. Do you believe all magic is evil? That all that it can do is evil?"

Arthur followed her, his thoughts going over what he was thinking about. Merlin has stated before magic was evil, but that blue ball and what's-his-name proved that not all magic was evil.

"I believe most magic is use for evil. I only seen glimpses on how it could be use for good."

"Do you believe all sorcerers that have killed someone with magic are evil?"

"Of course!"

The woman looked down at the baby, and a tear drop slides down her cheek.

"Let me tell you a story. There was once a girl who lived with her family near a lake with both flowers, and a great view of mountains. Both of her parents didn't have magic, but she did. The girl's magic was only strong enough to light the smallest flame most of the time. When she was fourteen, her parents were killed by the local lord for being druids. For three years, the girl lived alone. Then one day, she meet a guy. The guy was pretty nice at first, allowing her to talk to him and showing her where to find the best fishing spot. One day, he decided that the girl should pay her due, and start forcing himself onto her. In protecting herself, her magic throw the man. The man died. Was the girl evil?"

Arthur looked at the woman, and in that instance he knew the girl that she was talking about was herself. He look down into the crib at the young baby. He reached in and stroke the baby's face.

"No. That wasn't murder, that was self-defense. When you said killed, I thought you meant murder."

"In the eyes of the law, the girl would be executed."

"She would be executed in using magic."

The woman shook her head, then sighed. Arthur study the baby then shook his head.

"When is Emrys going to arrive?"

The woman smiled softly, and open her mouth. Before she could speak, the baby's eyes glow gold and a wooden block started floating above him. Arthur gasped, and took a step backwards.

"The baby is Emrys. That how special he is. Most warlocks start developing their powers from ages ten and above. Emrys could use his magic since he was a newborn."

"You mean this child is Emrys? The person suppose to protect the Once and Future King?" Arthur asked, watching the block twirling in the air.

"He couldn't be born a fully grown man, could he?"

Arthur didn't bother responding to her question, instead step closer to the baby.

"So there are people born with magic and cannot control it? I didn't know that."

"And they will still be executed for being sorcerer, for a talent that they happen to be born with. Most of the time, they are too scare to seek help and the fear drives them to run away. It drives them to be bitter, and they act on the bitterness."

"Like Morgana. If… If I had known, then I would have help her."

The woman shook her head, and reach out and grab his arm.

"Goodbye, Mer… my love. Maybe we will see each other again."

Before Arthur could respond, the world tremble around them. An light engulf the pair, then disappeared. Instead of being in the simple house, they were in a bustling town. Though it's no where as big as Camelot, it was bigger than Ealdor.

"What is going on now?" whisper Arthur.

"I'm going to prove not all sorcerers are evil, King Arthur Pendragon. Since Emrys' been influence by someone that misinterpret the stories," said the woman, as she started walking off towards some unnamed goal.

'_What have I gotten myself into?' _


End file.
